Chapter 47.
XXX
'How long has it been…?'
The question lingered in her mind as she pushed herself forward, with willpower but also with momentum. Her clothes were wet and splashy noises could be heard with every step she took forward.
However, it was not raining: the status of her clothes could be attributed to simply the sweat it had absorbed.
Not even first light had appeared over the horizon when he brought her to the top of the wall surrounding Orario.
"Run." He had told her, his voice unchanging.
"...R-Run…? How long?" She had asked, finally, after what seemed an eternity.
"Until I tell you to stop." He replied and then turned on his heal, walking back towards the stairs.
He had left, simple as that.
At that time, the sun had not even yet risen over the horizon.
And now, it had already set. Quite a while ago, in fact.
'How long has it been…?'
Mikoto could not say. Perhaps fifteen hours.
Maybe…
Certainly more.
Just a little over a week ago, she had began her journey as an Initiate of the Lightning Sword Style.
And just as soon the pain had started.
The first two days had been simply fasting and meditating. Her Master mentioned she must be in a pure a state as possible for when the 'conditioning' was to start. Removing traces of food from her system would be one step towards that.
Meditation, on the other side, would help her prepare for the pain.
Finally, on the third day her Master was ready to help her start the 'conditioning'.
Placing his hand on her back, Mikoto felt how a strange warmth entered her body from where he was touching her, the sensation following his hand as he moved it all across her back.
It was no doubt his strange power, the one he had demonstrated before her and Takemikazuchi, the thing he had yet to name.
And it felt good.
Tranquil.
Alive, even.
But, it was not to last.
For after roughly a couple hours, he removed his hand and then a palm strike followed next.
Her whole world turned black, right then and there.
She knew she had died, there was no other explanation: the pain was too great for anything else.
But as she lay on the grass and wriggled in pain, each second passing by feeling no different than a whole hour in her mind, she realized she was not dead.
She was alive.
But her lungs, she could not feel them.
She could not breath.
It was hard.
Impossible.
Suffocating.
Breathing!
She needed to breath!
Breath!
Let me breath!
Her mind was clouded by that single thought, but the simplest of actions, the one action she had performed unconsciously so far...she could not do it.
"It's all up to you now, Mikoto: I can't help you." She heard her Master's words, but could not see his face. She could not see anything. "You've breathed since the first moment: just remember the feeling. Recreate it."
She tried. More than anything else in her life so far, with tears falling down her cheeks, she tried to breath.
But every time she tried to inhale, it was as if a barrier of sorts stopped her from doing so.
"...You'll die if you don't breath soon." His voice sounded distant and detached, as if he had seen that which he voiced happen before his eyes in the past. "...Imagine a flame burning bright within your chest, Mikoto. Each time you inhale, that flame grows and spreads. Each time you exhale, it diminishes to its original size. Imagine it, or you will die."
If any one thought crossed her mind, it was 'Stop being so damn verbose!'.
She understood then and there that her new Master was unable to express himself with anything but the highest number of words possible.
And yet the pain was too great, and she decided to do as her Master told her. She imagined the flame. It was hard to focus with the pain she was feeling, but she managed to do it. Then she imagined it growing.
It took more than just a couple of tries, but it miraculously worked in the end.
She managed to breath.
Only small breaths, of course, but she managed to breath.
"You are doing good. Focus on only doing that, Mikoto. Continue that rhythm until the pain becomes tolerable."
He didn't need to tell her twice. Blocking out anything else Mikoto followed solely on breathing, slowly but steadily.
"...I am sorry. In truth, what I have done to you is...only something I read in books. It is different from my own initiation. But, it is safer. The fact you are alive is proof of that. So just breath."
Suffice to say, he did not explain much more after that. The days following that were spent only on breathing, until she could do so normally once again.
Mikoto doubted it could ever be the same normal again, however. After all, every time she inhaled now she felt a mild, reinvigorating sensation spread all throughout her body, as if with every breath she was taking she was consuming a small mouthful of Stamina Potion.
It was not a bad sensation.
However, she was still unable to fully breath. Doing so made her feel like her lungs imploded. As such she needed to be conscious of her every breath, keep every single one short.
She didn't even want to know what a sudden hiccup would do to her right now.
If she had to guess, however...she would probably die from shock.
But whatever this change was, she could not question it's results.
After all, she had been running for who knows how long know, without her Falna.
Did it hurt?
Yes.
Was she tired?
Yes.
Did she want it to stop?
Yes, very much.
But did she feel like she wanted to stop, to give up, like it was impossible to take one more step?
No.
Surprisingly enough, despite being on the verge of collapse, she knew she could manage one more step. She felt it, somewhere deep inside of her.
However, even with that said…
'Masterrrrr! How long do you plan for me to keep this up?!'
XXX
"Far be it for me to question your judgment, my Master~, but...isn't this too easy? Compared to what you had to do..." The dragon asked as he flew steady through the air, observing the struggling eastern girl from above without her notice.
His Master was seated on his back, observing the girl with even more intensity than he did. "...She is older than I was then."
"Yeah. And still you ran around the coastline of the Far East for a whole month. Without having your Ki points awakened. In comparison, she is on easy mode."
"...It is but a pseudo-awakening. I did not active her Ki: I simply...gave them a boost. To keep her going."
"Is that not counter-productive?"
Raiju was not wrong, it was indeed not as productive as his own training had been. "It matters not."
"We both know the only reason you are that strong, my Master, is because your training was unforgiving. Why even train her if it's going to be mediocre?"
That was a valid point. It was also something Fuzen had extensively pondered upon after he first made the offer to Mikoto: how was he going to train her, exactly?
Obviously, he could simply recreate the same training he and the others had gone through.
However…
I can't go on.
Make it stop.
It hurts...It hurts so much…
Please, no more.
I can't do it.
No more.
No more…
No more…
No more…
…
There was a reason he was the only one left from his generation. Because for the first time in over six hundred years, everything was up to them.
However, it was not the same for Mikoto. Because unlike before, he was here now, and two generations were once again active at the same time.
There was no reason for her to sacrifice, or to be sacrificed.
"...This is good enough." He finally replied.
"You're getting soft, my Master~"
Fuzen's eye twitched, raising his leg up and stomping the dragon's head. "Soft enough for you?"
He did not respond, however he stopped his flight. Knowing his hit was hardly enough to damage him in any real way, Fuzen turned his gaze downwards. "...Oh. She collapsed."
"Maybe you were right in making the training lighter, after all."
Fuzen nodded and they descended down to her location, checking to see if she was still breathing. "So, how much did she last?"
As per Fuzen's request, Raiju had been shadowing Mikoto all throughout her training, making sure the pseudo-awakening did not have any side effects on her. There was no mention of such things in the books after all, and Fuzen would rather not take a risk with someone's life. "Give or take, seventeen hours."
"Hmm. More than I expected."
"That is right." Raiju agreed.
"It's only surface level, but from what I can tell neither her lungs, muscles, tendons or Ki points have been affected by the pseudo-awakening. Her body collapsed because of exhaustion, but she is not harmed in any long-lasting way."
"Mhm. I can sense as much, too, my Master."
It had not been something he consciously choose to investigate, however Mikoto had just showed him that highly unnecessary risks had been taken when he and the others started their own training years ago.
However, he did not ponder on the revelation. He had his duty and his mission. Now he had an apprentice, too.
Little else mattered, least of all the past.
"So how do you plan to proceed?" The dragon asked.
"...Slowly. Safely. I told her the training might take some eight months. It was not a guaranteed frame of time." He replied as he placed Mikoto's body on Raiju's back, hopping on himself and having his summon take them back home.
Raiju could fly very smooth, however he still leaned the girl against his chest. He'd rather avoid her falling off from their height if he could help it. He also noticed she was drenched in sweat.
Checking the water canteen he told Mikoto to bring with her, Fuzen found it almost full. No doubt she focused so much on maintaining her rhythm that she forgot to drink. This was something he needed to correct.
'I'm sorry. But this is not even the real beginning.' He apologized to her in his mind as he used his sleeve to wipe away the drops of sweat on her face.
It was weird, to say the least.
Her expression, while unconscious, was still...kind.
Looking back to his own training, all he could remember on his friends' faces were pain, grief, anguish, hate, anger, eventually emptiness...Of course, the same could be said about him.
He had promised Mikoto he would train her.
And he would.
He would help her become stronger.
But...if he could help it, he'd rather she keep this kind of expression, even after the training was done.
"...Raiju."
"Hm?"
"...How many hours do you think I should allow her to sleep?"
If he were to go by his own experience, he'd have to beat her awake and then continue for a couple more days, only allowing her to rest a bit on the fourth or the fifth day. All in order to push her to the absolute physical and mental limit of an unblessed human, as they had been.
But...he didn't think that was necessary.
"Hmm...About three or four hours? It's enough for her to rest a bit, but not enough for a full recovery. That much should keep her on the edge."
"...Sounds appropriate."
"While we are at it, you should catch some sleep too, my Master. You haven't rested recently."
"I'm fine."
"...You are directing most of your Ki to stave off the fatigue. I am leeching off from you. I know."
"I said I am fine."
Understanding there was no changing his Master's mind, Raiju gave up. "Tomorrow is a big day, right? You should be rested."
"...It's a simple drop-off. Hardly worthy of being called a 'big day' just for that."
"I didn't mean for you, my Master."
XXX
It was becoming harder, to say the least.
Putting on her fake smile, acting scared when confronted by the pathetic excuses of Adventurers of her Familia, behaving like her old self.
By now she could actually see her aggressors attacks, she could see openings in their attacks. All of this thanks to the experience she got over the last months.
She had become stronger, there was absolutely no doubt about that. Fighting day after day, against Monsters and Adventurers alike, had managed to boost her up to about mid-Level 1.
A dry chuckle escaped Lili's throat: it had been this simple to get stronger all along.
It wasn't easy, of course. If anything it was dangerous enough that she could lose her life.
But it was simple: get out of your comfort zone, fight tooth and nail and if you survive, reap the rewards.
Lili knew that by now she could eliminate quite of her Familia members in a one-on-one. The older ones, the veterans who were on the verge of achieving Level 2, not so much. But those newer members, those who joined because of the Soma addiction they developed, those were easy prey.
Dumb, careless, unfocused if they couldn't taste their wine for a couple of days.
Yet even so, she had to lay low.
It was also the reason she was bandaging her body right now.
Just a couple of hours ago she ran into a group of Soma Adventurers as she came out of the Dungeon. They were a newer group, not that experienced. They couldn't meet their quota and were denied their ration of Soma.
Obviously, this infuriated them, drove them mad.
And as always they, like everyone else, decided to blow up some steam by beating her in a back alley. Then they ran her pockets and stole the eight hundred or so Valis she had on her.
Nothing new there, of course: it had been her life story so far.
However she knew now that she could kill them all where they stood: a well-placed smoke bomb, a couple of shots from her crossbow, which was especially efficient in the tight confinements of an alley, then finishing whoever remained standing with a slash to the throat.
All made easier by the fact they weren't well off enough to afford any real armour that would get in her way.
It was not an option, though. She still had to get stronger: strong enough to cut off the head of the Soma Familia, Zanis.
He was still a Level 2, however. Not a very skilled one, but he was still powerful compared to her.
She'd need to reach the same level, or at least reach the peak of Level 1. With enough traps and preparations, if she ever managed to get him while alone, she could kill him.
No real changes could ever happen in her Familia if that indulgent bastard wasn't taken care of. He was the one who kept everyone by a leash, after all.
Yet for all the crap he was guilty of, there was someone even more guilty than even that bastard: her God, Soma himself.
Because who in their right mind would ever allow someone as greedy, someone as hedonistic and self-serving as Zanis to become the Captain?
'...All in due time.'
For all her planning, it didn't change the fact that she could only move forward once she had gotten strong enough.
With a sigh she finished bandaging her abdomen and got up from the bed.
Obviously using a Potion would have been much easier, but if she bumped into the same assholes again and they noticed her quick recovery, they would make sure to torture her and get every single Valis they could out of her.
She was stronger now...but she would probably still crack if she found herself in a hopeless situation like that.
So she simply sighed and accepted what she needed to do.
The room around her was dimly lit, only a single candle burning on the table. She was probably being too paranoid, but better safe than sorry.
Her secret lair was located in Daedalus Street, the basement of a now collapsed building. The entrance from above was no longer accessible, hidden by all the rubble. Instead, the only way to access it was through the sewer, then through a hole in a wall small enough that no one but a Pallum could fit through.
She was lucky to have found it a while back, while running away from some Ganesha members who spotted her hovering over the corpse of a Soma Adventurer she killed. Their chase eventually led to the sewers, but despite losing them she never saw them checking the sewers again.
Probably too little personnel to spare, no doubt.
Her somewhat semi-permanent home was still back at the Spirit Bom's shop, but the chance of her Familia tracing her there was too high: instead, she hid her weapons, traps and money in this basement.
It was a pain in her backside to both store and take them out through that tight hole in the wall, but it was safer this way.
Sitting down at the mouldy table she looked over her crossbow: the string needed to be changed. Luckily, she had bought the spare before-hand.
It was the small yet useful weapon which had saved her life numerous times before. A gift, no less. One of the only two she ever received. To her great displeasure, the baselard Fuzen gifted her shattered a while ago, while she was fighting a Kobold.
Too much wear and tear accumulated, and she forgot to have it repaired in time.
Melting it down had been an option...but it was too costly.
She apologized mentally to the boy for having to throw away the item he gifted her, but she needed to keep her costs down. Not to mention, the less people saw of her at shops and the likes, the better: if even one single Soma Adventurer ever saw her having money to spare, they would swoop down on her like the vultures they were.
She still made sure to buy an exact copy of that baselard, however.
Risky as it was to do so.
Going about her crossbow's repairs, Lili sunk deep into her own thoughts, remembering the short time she went together in the Dungeon with Fuzen.
She was fond of those memories, despite knowing she did not deserve them.
The ease with which he cut through ranks upon ranks of Monsters, always managing to amaze her despite the many times she saw that scenario play out.
Their somewhat awkward silent walks through the empty passages of the Dungeon, and the even more awkward conversations which followed.
The way he cut, actually cut, through the floor to reach the Floor below at a faster pace, a feat she still wasn't certain was possible through any logical, physics-explained way.
Good memories, something she never thought she would have.
Lili had kept track of him as much as he could. At the very least, nothing of the scale of the Vindictive War happened recently. He seemed to be doing good, as far as she could tell.
And having had a closer look at the East District, Lili was amazed to hear of the operation he ran there.
The East District was still recovery from the Evilus attack years ago, having no real importance to Orario as a whole, lacking even just one Magic Stone processing factory, and as such were hardly given any financial support to rebuilt or improve the overall living standards of the people there.
At most, it had been a District highly associated with crime and illegal trades, slaves above all. All sorts of bad people gathered there as neither the authorities nor the Guild paid any real attention to the District, and they were allowed to operate freely.
That was no longer the case, however.
Crime rate had dropped to a rather solid zero...after multiple Familia were driven away from the District, and from Orario as a whole.
Fuzen had cleaned house, in this case quite literally.
Lili was amazed at this all, of course. Amazed...but not surprised.
He was simply someone like that, an individual who could make the impossible seem very possible, all in the blink of an eye.
No doubt one of the chosen ones, is what Lili would have thought before actually getting to know him. But she knew now, that he wasn't some special someone.
Throughout her life, she had managed to be somewhat near people of extraordinary deeds and legend. She had seen both Braver and King, as well as many others of high prestige, from close up.
They had all felt overwhelming. Individuals one could one only look up at, but never reach. Never touch.
In a strange way, Fuzen had the exact opposite effect on her.
He was already standing on a pile of extraordinary deeds and achievements. A prestigious individual, in his own right.
But unlike the others, he felt...like someone you could reach.
Like someone you could walk towards, reach out and actually touch.
Lili wasn't exactly sure herself what that meant, however.
But she knew that she betrayed the trust of such an amazing individual because of her Familia. She also knew that she would probably never again meet any person as kind and understand as Fuzen had been to her.
That is why this all needed to end by her hands.
Why it needed to end with a bolt from her crossbow burrowing it's way through Zanis's skull.
XXX
By all means, this should have been as normal a day as any other.
He had trained throughout the night after bringing Mikoto back from her training, waking his apprentice up after exactly four hours to the minute of sleep, sending her back to the top of the wall to continue running on Raiju's back, but not before telling the girl to drink her damn water this time around.
Then he continued with his own training, sometime later being called over by one of his many house maids: they were waking up, which meant breakfast would be ready in about half an hour.
They knew his schedule after all, they even had the gall to try and tell him to change it on multiple occasions, and so they decided that the first thing they needed to do was to inform Fuzen that night ended, and morning started.
It was his signal to end his training every time he spent the night over in the District and take a bath. Unfortunately, he could not really enjoy said bath as much as he wanted.
The women were quite adamant in their belief that they should not start working until he himself was seated and took the first bite.
It was not a theoretical scenario, either: it had happened once before, when Fuzen was late one hour to breakfast thanks to some reports Yamamoto sent his way. He still found the women waiting patiently for him, not one having even touched their food.
It was unpleasant to think about that happening again, so he kept his bath time short.
As soon as he walked into the dining room, however, he felt the difference.
Usually they would be laughing, engage in banter, stuff like that.
That was not the case today, however.
And it wasn't hard to understand what was the cause of their change in demeanour.
"...You all knew this day would come. I have told you in advance." He voiced after siting down at his seat and having a long look at the expressions of the people all around him.
Quite surprisingly, none of them lifted their heads to look at him, despite usually doing so as they perceived it as showing respect.
Fuzen was confused at their behaviour, to say the least.
"Young Master...is this truly necessary?" One of them, Hotaru, asked.
He nodded without hesitation. "That is what I have told you all, is it not?"
It was a new experience, having those women who would usually just nod to everything he said, question his motives all of a sudden.
"Surely, if you calmly think about it again..."
"The decision has already been made." He cut the woman off, not letting her finish her sentence. "You may think whatever you want, whenever you want. You may also voice your concerns to me: I am always open to listening to them. But do not question the decisions I make, especially when you lack the knowledge related to the how and the why behind said decisions."
"...If the Young Master says so."
"I do."
That seemed to do the trick, and they began eating breakfast despite the heavy mood that hung over the room. It was probably better if he didn't ask, but Fuzen decided to do so anyway. "Why do you all care about this matter so much, anyway?"
No reply came immediately, whole seconds passing by before someone spoke up. "Young Master, it is not what she wants." It was Yua, the oldest of the women and someone who unofficially took the 'big sister' role upon herself.
"...You all of people should know that the world rarely works in the way we wish it to work."
Even he realized his words were highly inappropriate, especially at the table. They were bound to reawaken at least some bad memories for most of the women around him, but they needed to be said nonetheless.
"Is it not better for her to find that out through a relatively safe and painless method? I am not exactly throwing her to the wolves, after all."
"...Of course, Young Master. I agree that your way of showing her that is indeed safe...but it is hardly painless."
"...Everyone needs to grow up, eventually. Better sooner than later."
Though he replied as such, Fuzen failed to understand why Yua would mention it would be painful. There was no torture or beating involved. Neither was he forcing the girl to do something dishonourable, nor anything that might be perceived as immoral.
"Where is she, anyway?" He asked, changing the subject. He did think about inquiring more about Yua's words, but he doubted he would understand her reasoning, anyway.
"In her room. She did not want to come out."
'Resistant to the end, I see. But, this much is acceptable, at least for today.'
The remaining breakfast time went by quietly, if only a bit more awkward than it had started. When they were done, Fuzen stood up and made for the door. "I will go check her bag. We will leave afterwards."
With that said he made his way up to the second floor, to the room that was right besides his own. "Alya. I am coming in."
Waiting one more second after making himself known, Fuzen slid the door open and stepped inside. The girl was there, sitting on the edge of her bed. She did not lift her gaze to look at him, instead just continuing her silent treatment.
Sighing mentally Fuzen grabbed the bag on the floor and placed it on the bed, besides her. "I will check to see if you haven't forgotten something."
Not getting any reply he took that as his cue for proceeding, opening the bag and quickly going through the content: change of clothes, some drawings she made, books to read, a couple of toys...Pretty much what he told her to pack, down to the letter. "...Ok. Looks good. Then…" He flung the bag on his back and made for the door. "Let's go."
He stooped at the threshold and looked over his shoulder: a couple of seconds passed before the girl stood up and walked behind him.
Unsurprisingly enough, everyone else was waiting for them at the entrance. If Fuzen had to guess, they wanted to say their goodbyes.
'...It's only half an hour away on foot. This is way too dramatic.'
"Alya, I will be waiting by the gate." Not really feeling like he of all people should be part of the goodbyes, he instead decided to walk away and wait by the gate outside his property.
Indeed, the day of Alya's adoption had finally come.
It was no secret, he had in fact stated she would be up for adoption for a while now. The women must have thought he was joking. He was a bit surprised they did not yet understand he did not joke around with his words: if he said something would happen, it would happen.
One way or another.
The wait proved to be longer than he anticipated. Seven minutes have gone by and he was still waiting. Naturally, he could hear far enough to make out what was going on behind him.
All sorts of things were said, from 'Make sure you eat enough' to 'We will miss you' and even to 'Come by and visit daily!'.
Her new home was a mere half an hour away on foot, still within the East District, just on the other side of it. Why they needed to go through this whole ritual, Fuzen could not say.
"...Let's be on our way." He voiced as the girl finally passed through the gate and turned to face him.
He turned and began walking, hearing Alya's steps keeping up with him.
She knew the way herself, of course. Over the past couple of days they had visited her new home daily, getting her used to the way there, to the new house, her new family.
Her new life.
"...Hm?" The sound escaped his throat as he felt her hand reaching out and squeezing his, looking down only to see the usually energetic and happy girl be so meek and in a way, almost hurt. "Did you eat something bad? Do you require help walking?"
She simply shook her head as she continued to look down at the pavement. "...Then move to the other side."
His words were not without reason: she was holding his right hand. If he needed to make a split-second decision of drawing his sword, it would get in the way.
Though unaware of his reason behind asking, Alya nodded and moved to his left, still reaching out to hold his hand.
"...If you do not require support then walk on your own, Alya."
Again, she shook her hand and instead simply squeezed even harder than before.
Fuzen was unsure if this was her way of rebelling against him. He had little idea how ordinary kids thought, and neither did the books he read on how to raise them say anything that might apply in the current situation.
"I still don't have...control over my powers." She spoke for the first time.
"...You have enough control that I trust you to be on your own. And I will check on you regularly."
"I could...I could hurt someone in that time…"
"You have demonstrated enough control not to let that happen haphazardly. If it does happen, it would be a choice, not a mistake. I would be very disappointed in that case."
Of course, he didn't fully believe his own words. She did pick up quickly on his lessons and showed some moderate control of her Magic...but she was still a child. Mistakes could happen, indeed. But there would be no growth if he did not push her a little, place some responsibility on her shoulders.
"I...I still have homework to do…"
"...Your new family promised to get you education, no matter what. You will continue your studies, make no mistake about that."
"I...I still...I should…"
Whatever it was she tried to say next, she did not seem capable of putting it into words. Moments later her head simply dropped, but the hand holding his own squeezed even harder, if that was even possible.
Fuzen wondered in that moment why she seemed so troubled. Did the change in her lifestyle really bother her that much? It was still within the same city, still within the same District. It was also within walking distance of what she grew to see as her home.
Everyone she knew could be visited within a single, half-hour walk.
It made little sense. Then again, few things people said or did made actual sense to him. He had learned to walk around them, figured out what words would create the least amount of negative reaction in most given cases.
But it did not mean the actions and words of others made sense to him.
Alya was irrational just like most others.
She failed to see that this course of action was the best for her.
And it was a decision reached over whole weeks, all for the sake of safety.
When he put the word out, many people had responded. Surprisingly enough, there were many couples within the East District and Orario at large looking to adopt children.
More effort than he could summarize in a couple short words went into the process of elimination.
It wasn't just the stability of their workplace which he looked out for: if anything, that was the last thing he looked out. Instead, strength of character is what he tested and researched.
Yet, that had not been the only point of interest, either. Many couples who reached out were those in an interspecies relationship: Humans and Beast People who could not conceive children of their own.
In most cases he tested, he found such couples had lacked common ground when presented with certain situations. Beast People, most of all, had all in all a higher ratio of butting heads with their partner as far as raising a child was concerned.
Bickering families were not something he was about to throw Alya at, and they were eliminated.
Other such couples, like those where one partner was an Elf or Dwarf, had also been taken out of the equation. Their cultural rigidity could become a wall for Alya, holding her back from becoming the person she wanted...she should be.
In the end, that left him with only Human couples. He agreed that he might sound racist to say so, but he believed that to be the best choice.
Human lack of cultural rigidity and overly troublesome customs and traditions, or fixations, as was the case with Dwarves and their alcoholic beverages, was in his opinion better for the overall growth of a child. They would be raised with less shackles holding them down.
Of course, that was hardly enough for him to make his decision.
Patience, habits and character had to be tested, as well.
Those with bad habits, like for example couples who made a moderate living but still lived month-by-month because of an inability to not spend money on unnecessary shopping were eliminated.
Likewise, those who who engaged even in just semi-regular drinking were eliminated right of the bat.
As for patience and strength of character, he hired kids from the East District to cause harmless inconveniences to the remaining candidates. Things like running into them on the street, or accidentally dropping drinks or food on them, or breaking a window.
To say the least, he was glad he had gone along with this experiment, as it opened his eyes to that which was hidden.
Even those people who acted kind, and whom he could sense as being kind from reading their Ki, raised their hands at the kids he hired and who caused trouble.
It was Yamamoto who made him aware such people might have responded to his call just to gain some standing with 'the boy with deep pockets'.
Obviously, those people had been eliminated as candidates on the spot. Better to never be given the chance of raising Alya than have him kill them later on, was the line he reasoned along.
It was through that long process of elimination that Fuzen finally narrowed it down to a single couple, one which lived not that far away from him.
A woman from the Far East, and her husband she met in Melen. They were unable to have kids of their own, so they responded to Fuzen's call. They were not that well off, but they made enough to cover their monthly expenses and be able to save up a bit on the side.
Neither were regulars at any bar or pub in town, and Fuzen didn't notice any signs of alcohol in their home when he visited with Alya.
Overall, he had a good impression of them. He would still check the situation for the next couple of years, making sure they didn't have ulterior motives for Alya, but he was not exactly a trusting person and yet had a good impression of them.
That had to count for something.
Shaking himself off from his deep thoughts, Fuzen realized they were just about ten minutes away from reaching the couple's home.
It wouldn't be long now: he'd drop her off, then he'd finally be able to proceed with more pressing matters.
Twitch
He looked over at Alya with the corner of his eye: she was still sulking, her head hung low.
Twitch
Ungrateful little girl, for sure. She had no idea about the lengths he had to go through for her, yet still acted like a victim for some reason.
Twitch
Twitch
It was then he felt something wrong, a...knot in his stomach, for a lack of better words. Had he eaten something gone wrong? No, that was not possible: the house maids always prepared fresh meals.
Twitch
So what was it, then? He had never felt this sensation before. Was he sick? He doubted any kind of sickness would take effect this instantaneously, however.
Twitch
Was it his gut telling him he forgot something? That couldn't be, either. He had been meticulous in every single action, every little detail. The security around Alya, how often he would check on her, the monthly allowance...Everything had been accounted for and triple checked.
Twitch
At this point, it truly was just a simple drop-off. Get the girl there, leave her in the care of the couple, then leave.
He did not forget his life-debt, of course. She would be under his protection for the rest of his life, but this is where his main duty to her would end.
Twitch
He was not mistaken, everything had been covered already.
Twitch
So then…
Twitch
What the hell was this knot in his stomach?
Twitch
Twitch
Overwhelming anger took over, a wrath of such incredible intensity he couldn't even put it into words. He was angry. Very much so.
At what?
What else but Alya?
He looked over towards her, her meek and sad and annoying expression pissing him off.
'This is for your own damn good, you ungrateful little brat. Why can't you understand something so simple-?'
Perhaps it was a response to the sheer hostility he was emitting, but just then Alya looked up to meet his eyes.
And just like that, his anger had vanished as if it had never existed in the first place.
She crossed eyes with him and they both stopped walking, but Fuzen was not seeing her golden eyes.
No.
Instead, a pair of hazel eyes looked back at him, and the knot he felt in his stomach intensified a hundred fold. His head felt all fuzzy as well, and a moment later the vertigo kicked in, as well.
Fuzen looked around for a second: the street was still empty, no one walking on the back street at such an early hour. He pulled his hand away from Alya, then pointed at her. "Stay here. Don't move." He told her as he began to walk back.
"W-What…?"
"Don't. Move."
He repeated, taking the eight or so steps back and then making a right turn, walking into the tight alleyway between the two buildings they had just passed by. Fuzen continued to walk a couple more steps, then crouched over and let his breakfast come up.
Puking was not something he had done a lot, so the sensation only made him feel even worse, if that was even possible.
'What a shitty fucking joke this is…'
Fuzen had always thought he was good at self-reflecting, at realistically seeing his own reasons and behaviour.
That had obviously been a god damned illusion he held about himself.
This whole thing, it wasn't about what was good for Alya, it wasn't a decision made for her sake, something meant to be better for her.
That was all a damn lie he told himself to sleep better at night.
No, this whole adoption charade he put into motion could be summarized into much simpler terms.
He was discarding her.
He was discarding her, in the same damn way everyone else discarded him.
The same way Fuzen Katsumi, and the one before that, had been discarded as a person.
Simple as that.
That which he had experienced first-hand, he was now willing to make her experience it, too.
Without a second thought, as well.
And he even wrapped it all up in a nice, big bag of stinky lies and bullshit reasoning.
'...The apple doesn't fall far from the tree...was it?'
Reaching for the inside of his clothes he took out a small Potion and used it to wash his mouth. If he even had a soul anymore, and if that soul was to have a colour he guessed it must have been pretty close to the bile and vomit on the ground.
Vile.
Acrid.
Repulsive.
For all of that though, he still believed his decision to be the correct one. No one even remotely close to him would ever be able to have a future.
That had been already...tested.
"Fuzen, are...are you ok?" The girl asked as he came out of the alleyway, looking worse than she had ever seen him.
He did not reply as he approached her, stopping just a step away from her.
For all his resentment, he still believed that what had been done to him had been the right decision. He still believed that others had known better.
And he still believed that this time around he made the right decision, and that he knew better.
But…
Back then, when he was in the shoes Alya was right now…
He remembered that there was one question he wished someone had asked of him.
Even just for the sake of appearances.
Even if his answer would not make any impact at all.
So he took a step to the side, and pointed at the path they had walked to get here. "Were you...Are you...happy?"
"Yes!" The instant reply managed to surprise him. There was not a hint of hesitation in her voice. "I want to be with Fuzen!"
Her words were met with momentary silence.
"...If you were to live a thousand years, that'd still be the dumbest thing you'd ever be capable of saying."
"W-What?"
"...Just walk."
He took the lead and continued on walking to the couple's house, the rest of the way there just as silent as before. Alya kept herself a bit behind, unsure what Fuzen had done back there in the alleyway, and confused about his change in demeanour.
Within mere minutes they had arrived: the couple's house was just a couple of houses away. "Alya."
"Yes…?"
"Stay here." He pointed at her. "And don't move."
"What...why?"
"I told you I'm a villain before, did I not? Then stay here and watch. This will probably be the first time you see two hearts being crushed."
He replied with a sigh and approached the house he visited with her multiple times by now. Fuzen knocked at the door, and a couple of moments later it opened.
The nice people Alya got to know stepped out, smiles on both of their faces.
They exchanged words with Fuzen, then looked over to her. Alya was too far away to hear anything that was being said, but Fuzen started talking. He also used his arms a lot, something she had never seen him do before.
Slowly, she also noticed how the couple's smiles died down as Fuzen finished talking. Following that, he got on his knees and bowed down, his forehead touching the floor.
From what she could tell, they both looked sad, the man's arm pulling the woman closer to him. Even so, they seemed to say something and Fuzen got up. They smiled again, but Alya couldn't say they were good smiles.
Then they walked backed inside and closed the door.
"...Talk about unpleasant. Haaa…" Fuzen muttered as he walked back towards her, then past her. "Let's go. We're done here."
"W-What going on?"
"We're going back."
"B-But…I thought…"
"Yeah, well...You thought wrong."
"So...we're going back home?"
"That is what I just said."
"For real?"
"I don't do jokes, Alya. What I say, I mean."
A momentary silence, then the hurried sounds of steps. A moment later her body slammed into his, holding tightly onto him.
She was hugging him.
"...I am immune to things like this, Alya. I also don't require them. Save them for someone who knows how to appreciate those gestures."
If her left and right head movements were any indication, she was saying No to his words...Even if that reply made no sense.
"...I don't know what you think of me. I also don't know what sort of role I hold for you. More importantly, I don't want to know. But whatever the impression you have of me is, it is wrong, Alya."
"Hmm?"
"At your age, you probably don't understand just how important decisions are. But you made one today. And you will have to live with the consequences of this decision for the rest of your life, no matter when they will manifest."
"...What are you talking about?"
"...You are dumb, and my day is ruined." He sighed as he gently pushed her away, then continued walking. "Let's go. I need some tea. And then we need to meet someone."
"...Who's that?"
"Your real family. If you can even call that dumb airhead something like that."
XXX